NaCl aqueous solution as a novel electrode in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor for highly efficient ozone generation

Ozone(O_(3)) generated by a dielectric barrier discharge(DBD) is widely used in various industrial processes. In this study, NaCl aqueous solution was used as a novel electric power transmission electrode in a DBD reactor(instead of a traditional metal electrode) for highly efficient ozone generation. The results demonstrated that a high O_(3) yield of 242 g k Wh^(-1) with a concentration of 14.6 g m^(-3)O_(3) was achieved. The power transmission mechanism works because NaCl aqueous solution behaves as a capacitor when an alternating pulse voltage below 8 k Hz is used.Compared with the resistance of the discharge barrier and discharge space, the resistance of NaCl aqueous solution can be ignored, which ensures that O_(3) is generated efficiently. It is expected that O_(3) generation using NaCl aqueous solution as a novel electrode in a DBD reactor could be an alternative technology with good application prospects.

Prediction of Swelling Behavior of AT-Isopropylacrylamide Hydrogels in Aqueous Solution of Sodium Chloride

In this paper, a model is presented to correlate and predict the swelling behavior of hydrogels in aqueous solutions of electrolytes. The model is a combination of VERS-model, 'phantom network' theory and 'free-volume' contribution. The VERS-model is used to calculate Gibbs excess energy; 'phantom network' theory to describe the elastic properties of polymer network, and 'free-volume' contribution to account for additional difference in the size of the species. To test the model, a series of N-isopropylacrylamide based hydrogels are synthesized by free radical polymerization in oxygen-free, deionized water at 25℃ under nitrogen atmosphere. Then, the degree of swelling of all investigated gels as well as the partition of the solute between the gel phase and the surrounding coexisting liquid phase are measured in aqueous solution of sodium chloride. The model test demonstrates that the swelling behavior correlated and predicted by the model agrees with the experimental data within the experimental uncertainty. The phase transition appeared in the experiment, and the influences of the total mass fraction of polymerizable materials ζgel as well as the mole fraction of the crosslinking agent yCR on the swelling behavior of IPAAm-gels can also be predicted correctly. All these show the potential of such model for correlation and prediction of the swelling behavior of hydrogels in aqueous solutions of electrolytes.